14 comments:

Agree with most of your list, but also feel like Warren Moon deserves some consideration.

I'm sure someone will come here and filet me for saying this, but I think Kurt Warner deserves some consideration for this list. He's won a Super Bowl, something that Marino and Tarkenton did not achieve. He also has three of the best statistical games in the history of the Super Bowl, which is no small feet. He'd have two Super Bowl rings if his defensive would've stopped Pittsburgh on that final drive. Not only that, but the man resurrected himself from the dead on 2 separate occasions. He completed 66% of his passes compared to Fran's 57%, and has a better TD to INT ratio than Fran.

There's one pro QB that doesn't hit the radar on any top QB analysis, but warrants mention. Doug Flutie. Sure, he put up a lot of his #'s in the CFL, but his career #'s are right there with the top guys on this list.

241 games played58,179 Passing Yards58.9 completion %451 Total TD's (82 rushing!)3 Grey Cup winsHe was inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility

When you plug his #'s into the formula above it falls apart because while he was a pro for 20 years, many of those we spent as a back-up. Anyhow, I'd consider him in my top 15-20 given his achievements in an age built for 6' 5" passing machines. Imagine him in the 50's or 60's?

No Joe Namath? Just kidding. I'm glad to see that Bradshaw, Unitas, Merino and some of the "greats" are listed here. I'd include Doug Flutie for heart and determination if nothing else. I have a personal bias here. My Dad was a sportswriter/editor for the New Bedford Standard-Times for 38 years. His last interview before he passed away was with Gerald Phelan, the guy who caught Flutie's epic "Hail Mary" pass. Dad covered Phelan when he play high school football and arranged the interview with Gerald's mom, being very clear that it wasn't just an excuse to interview Flutie.Gerald Phelan agreed to the interview, took Dad on a tour of his dorm room and the locker room, made sure Flutie was there, and then invited my Dad to have dinner with the BC team. My Dad had a blast, and sadly, that was the last story he ever published. I had the chance to run on the field of Schaefer Stadium (pre-Gillette for all you kids) before it opened and saw many games there.

I'm thinking more about Flutie, and I don't think he cracks my top 20.

Do I like him? Absolutely -- hell of a player. I loved him in his college days, and was perplexed that it took so long for him to make it into the NFL. (His case is another example that indicates the thorough conservatism of most sports management.)

Sorry it's taken me so long to get around to this. I've thought a lot about it and I think you've captured most of who I would have in my top 10 Tim. Although I strongly disagree that Favre's #3 MAINLY because of all the interceptions (often at the most inopportune times -- two weeks ago as a case in point).

Yes, I'm a homer like Kyle but you really have to have Brady higher up than you do if only because the guy has been a football god when he's healthy. Essentially, he's gone to the Superbowl in 50% of the years he's played in the league, has one of the winningest percentages of all times and only dropped off this year because his knee got sawed in half last year.

Going back to the year before the knee injury (2007), we was the most feared QB in the league (yes, even more so than Payton Manning that year) and likely would have continued in that same vein had aforementioned injury not happened.

Now there was a time that I would argue that Brady should have been above Manning (pre-ring) but what Manning has done this year with a patchwork O-line, beat up defense and a new coach has greatly improved my respect for him as best of all time. He wins a SB trophy this year and he's eliminated all questions (although if Brady goes on to win 3 more SB rings, I might reconsider).